Blade guiding means for band blade slicing machines



Oct. 15, 1957 H. E. BOITSCHA BLADE GUIDING MEANS FOR BAND BLADE SLICINGMACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Oct. 15, 1957 H.E. BOITSCHA BLADE GUIDING MEANS FOR BAND BLADE SLICING MACHINES 4Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1955 HHHHN III 511 .HHHHUIHHH MMMH INVENTORHerbert E. Baitscha Y *7Ztc, $7

ATTORNEYS Oct. 15, 1957 H. E. BOITSCHA BLADE GUIDING MEANS FOR BANDBLADE SLICING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 3, 1955 INVENTOHerbert E. Boitscka ATTORNEYS Oct. 15, 1957 H. E. BOITSCHA BLADE GUIDINGMEANS FOR BAND BLADE SLICING MACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet4 INVENTOR Herbert E. Boitscka BY W 7h657 ATTORNEYS Unite 2,809,681Patented Oct. 15, 1957 LAJE GUTDING MEANS FOR BAND BLADE SLiClNGlViACI-IINES Herbert E. Boitscha, Bettendorf, Iowa, assignor toBettendorf Bakery Equipment Company, Bettendorf, Iowa, a corporation ofIowa Application Jwuary 3, 1955, Serial No. 479,494

9 Claims. (Cl. 143-164) This invention relates to endless band bladeslicing machines and more particularly to blade guiding and bladelubricating means disposed adjacent the slicing zone.

The device of the present invention provides fixed rigid guide fingersadjacent the slicing Zone which are uniformly spaced to provide narrowblade receiving slots between them, means being provided for lubricatingboth sides of each band blade as it passes through the slots between thefingers to reduce friction between the blades and guide fingers and toprevent adhesion of the material being sliced to the blades.

The invention is particularly applicable to endless band blade breadslicing machines of the crossed band blade type in which a series ofendless blade bands run over spaced drums and are crossed between thedrums and in which the loaves of bread or other articles being slicedare guided through the slicer bands at the crossing zone by band bladeguides positioned above and below the crossing zone so that cuts onopposite sides of each slice are made by blades traveling in oppositedirections.

The present invention provides means on both the upper and lower guidesfor supplying lubricant to the opposite side faces of each blade so thatthe side faces of all of the blades are moistened with lubricantimmediately prior to their passage through the guide slots intoengagement with the article being sliced, thereby reducing friction andminimizing the adherence of gummy material to the side faces of theblades.

In order to obtain smooth slices and a minimum waste of material in theform of crumbs carried through the guides by the band blades, it isdesirable that the guides be provided with narrow band blade receivingslots which positively hold the blades against lateral play during theirpassage through the article being sliced.

In order to withstand the constant abrasion of the rapidly moving bandblades, it is desirable that the guide fingers have smooth, hard,wear-resistant surfaces on the sides thereof that are contacted by theband blades. Where food products are being sliced it is essential thatthe guides be made of corrosion resistant metal.

It is common practice in bread slicing machines to provide guide fingersthat are individually attached to relatively movable carriers in suchmanner that the spacing of the band blades for slices of variousthicknesses may be adjusted by simultaneous adjustment of the carriersto which the individual fingers are attached. Such guide mechanisms arequite expensive and have an inherent defect in that the blade guidingslots are widened when the fingers are adjusted for thick slices. Inmany installations slicing machines are used continuously with the guidefingers set for slices of a given thickness and in such installationsthe expensive finger adjusting mechanism is of no utility. The presentinvention provides a guide having fixed guide fingers which are rigidlysupported in closely spaced relation so as to positively hold the bladesto straight line movement during their travel through the articles beingsliced.

In order to provide the fingers with blade engaging faces that aresmooth and wear resistant and that are accurately formed, the presentinvention provides a guide which is formed by two elongated membersprovided with integral elongated fingers which are uniformly spacedapart a distance greater than their width, the two elongated membersbeing superposed one upon the other in such manner that the fingers ofone are located between the fingers of the other to provide narrow guideslots of uniform width and uniform spacing throughout the length of theguide. By so constructing the guides, the two parts thereof may be castor forged and accurately machined to provide hard, wear resistant bladeengaging surfaces. The fingers of each of the two parts. of the guideare spaced far enough apart so that their blade engaging faces can beaccurately machined and polished prior to assembly. If the blade guidemembers are formed of a corrosion resistant metal, the blade engagingsurfaces may be hardened, ground and polished before assembly. Thefingers may be plated with a hard abrasion and corrosion resistant metalsuch as chromium and the plated surface polished prior to assembly, sothat when the two parts are assembled narrow slots are provided for theband blades which have accurately formed wear resistant surfaces forengagement with the sides of the band blades.

The guide units of the present invention are designed for mounting inthe guide carriers provided in conventional band blade slicing machinesso that the guide units of the present invention can be quickly andeasily attached.

The present invention has for an object to provide band blade guideswith efficient blade lubricating means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guide unit which canbe manufactured at low cost, which is easy to install and which isefficient in operation by reason of the provision of closely spacedrigid fingers that have smooth, accurately formed abrasion resistantblade engaging faces.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a band blade slicing machine equippedwith the blade guides of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the upper guide unit with portions of theframe in section;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the lower guide unit with portions of theframe in section;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line indicated at 4-4 inFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation viewed as indicated at 5-5 in Fig. 1,showing the manner in which the guide units are mounted in the slicingmachine frame;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line indicated at 66 in Fig.5;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the upper guide unit;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line indicated at 8-8 in Fig.7;

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the lower guide unit;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken on the line indicated at 10-10 inFig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of the fingered guide members;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the other fingered guide member;

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line indicated at 13-13 in Fig. ll;and

'Fig. 14 is a section taken on the line indicated at 14- 14 in Fig. 12.

lnli 'st drawi t e i e of he. e e tmvention is shown applied to aslicing machine of the endless band blade type in which a series ofendless band b e ln p r. l nerand lo eri l r pal ums .2 an 3 and arecrossed betweenthe drums; The machine has a frame in. w h dr msa mou dand i p vided with upper andlower guide carriersS and 6 that aresupported onparallel side bars 7 of the machine frame. T sn c ers .5. an6 a e 95 yp em ly. mployed for shpporting adjustable finger guides andare mourited' on the frame above and below the crossing zone of the bandblades and provide supports for upper and lower article guides 8 and 9between which the articles are guided into engagement withthebandblades. As shown in Fig. of, the lower guide carrier 61's rigidlysecured tothe frame bars? by mean s of supporting braclo ets lfi a d 11The upper carriers is provided with end brackets 1 2 that have threadedengagement with parallel screws 13 that are rotatably mounted in thebrackets and in upper supporting brackets 14 attached to the bars 7. Thescrews 13 have bevel gears 15 which mesh with bevel gears 16 on a crossshaft 17 to which a hand crank 18 is attached. By rotating the crank 18the upper guide carrier 5 can be adjusted downwardly toward or upwardlyaway from the lowercarrier 6. The upper and lower carriers 5 and is areof substantially identical construction, each having a front plate 19and end members 20.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each carrier has a horizontal shaft 21journaled in its end members and each shaft has oppositely threaded endportions 22 and 23 which extend through and have threaded engagementwith blocks 24 that extend through horizontal slots 25 in the plates 19.To the rear of the plates 19 the blocks 24 have enlarged portions 26 .that are provided with oppositely facing channels 27 that receive lugs 23on the ends of lower and upper guide supporting members 29 and 29a.Attaching screws 39 secure the lugs 28'to theenlarged portions 26 of theblocks and retaining bars 31 detachably secured to the end members 20,engage bosses 32 and 32a on the rear faces of the supporting members 29and 29d and overlie the portions 26 of the supporting blocks to whichthe supporting members 29 and 29a are attached. d

Each of the cross shafts 2i has a bevel gear 33 at one end and the bevelgears 33 mesh with bevel gears 34 on an extensible shaft 35 thatprovides a driving connectioh between the two' shafts 21'. The lowerthreaded shaft 21 may be turned by suitable means acting through a gear35 mounted thereon to simultaneously adjust the blocks 24. In mountingthe supporting members 29 and 29a, the blocks 24 are moved apart farenough to permit the supporting member to be inserted between them,after which the shafts 21 may be turned to bring the blocks 24 intoclamping engagement with the supportingrmembers. The attaching screws 30are then put injplace, after which the retaining bars 31 are attachedtothe carriers. After the supporting members are secured in place by thescrews 39, the supporting members are held in fixed positions on thecarriers. c i

The supporting members 29 and 2921' carry the article guides 8 and 9 andalso the blade guiding and lubricating devices. Since the upper andlower blade guides are substantially identical and attached to thesupporting members in substantially the same way, the lower supportingmember and the blade guides carried thereby will be described in detailand this description will apply also to corresponding parts of the upperguides to which the same reference numerals are applied.

As shown in Fig. 3, the supporting member 29' has a fiat bottom recess37 that extends across the upper end thereof, the forward end of therecess providing a shoulder 38 at right angles to the bottom of therecess. The recess 37 receives superposed attaching p'ortion s' 39andat) of blade guide members 41 and'4'2'which extend the full length ofthe supporting member.

As shown in Fig, l1 the guide member 41 has parallel elongated fingers43 that are uniformly spaced along the length thereof, the width of thespaces between the fingers being slightly greater than the width of thefingers.

As shown in Fig. 12, the guide member 42 has parallel elongated fingers44 that are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than their width.The fingers 43 and 44 of the two guide members are identical in sizeand'shape and the spaces between the fingers or" the two members are ofthe same width so that the fingers of oneof the mem' bers may bereceived between the fingers or" the other to provide narrow bladeguiding slots between the fingers. When the guide members are assembled,blade guiding slots 45 are provided between the fingers, as shown inFig. 4, which are of a width but slightly greater than the thickness ofthe'slicer blades. 7

By forming the guide fingers integrally with an attaching bar extendingthe full length of the guide, the fingers are rigidly supported andaccurately positioned. By forming the guide in two parts, the Width ofthe spaces between the fingers is suflicient to permit accurate machinng, grinding, polishing and surface hardening of the plate engagingfaces. When desired, a plating 46 of a hard, corrosionrs'istan't metalsuch as chromium maybe applied to the fingers, and the platiiig on theblade engaging sides of the fin ers may be polished so that there willbe a minimum of friction between the guide fingers and the band blades.

In order to enable the guide fingers 4 3 and 44 to be positioned withtheir top and bottom surfaces in parallel planes, the fingers" 43 and 44are oppositely offset with respect to their" attaching portions 39 and40. As shown irrFig. 13, the fingers 43 are offset upwardly with respectto" the attaching portion 39 and, as shown in Fig. 14, the fingers 44are offset downwardly with respect to' the attaching po'rti'oh 40; Inorder to' properly position the superposed guide members, inter-engagingalining' sfhoiilder's are provided on the attaching portions 39 and 40.As shownin Fig; 13; the attaching portion 39 is provided with a raisedportion 47 adjacent the fingers 43"an'd, as shown in Fig; 14, theattaching portionltl is provided with a recess 48" to receive the raisedportion 47 of the attaching member 39. As shown in' Fig; 3, theattaching portiori 39mmup'on the bottom of the recess 37 with itsforward, edge against the shoulders 33 and the attaching portion 40 fitsbetween the shoulder 33 and the raised portion 47 of the attachingportion 39. The combined thickness of the attaching portions 39 and 49adjacent the fingers 43 and 44 is the same as'that of the fingers andthe bottom face of the attachingporti'ori 39 and the portioh of the topface of the attaching portion 49' adjacent the fingers are in the sameplanes'as the top and bottomfaces of the fingers. The upper attachingportion 40 is provided with a recess 49 to receive the lower articleguide member..9 and the upper guide member 3' fits in' the recess 49 ofthe upper guide member. I

.,As' shown in Fig. 10, the attaching portions 39. and

' V 40 are secured together and to th'e supporting member 29 I ingmember 29. zihdeitends by means of screws 50 which extend through holesin the guide members which are so positioned that the fingers 43 and',44provide aseries of blade guide slots which are all of the sarne width. 1

. As shown in Figs. 7 to 10, the guide supporting members 29 .and 29aare hollow and serve as reservoirs for a liquid lubricant. A wick 51 ofa width corresponding to the length of the guide members has its lowerend with in the lubricant reservoir provided by the lower support- I H vn through an opening 52 a short distan ce. below the bla eguides. Theupper end of theft ick SI'is held against theunder sides of the guidefingersf43 means of a sheet metal retaining plate s3; A best' showriinFig. 4, the up er and 50%- tion' ofthe' wick "5 1'ha s slots 54' thatregister with the slots TN d the guide firigers 43" and 44, thf slots54' providmg an elongated lubricant applying pad 55 engaging the bottomface of each of the guide fingers. The retaining plate 53 has slots 56somewhat wider than the slots 54 that register with the slots 54 andprovide the retaining plate with a retaining finger 57 for each of thelubricant applying pads 55. The outer ends of the fingers 57 haveupwardly extending flanges 58 which engage the rear ends of the fingers43 and 44 and which are attached to the fingers by means of screws 59.The forward edge of the plate 53 is clamped against the wick in theopening 52 by means or" screws 6%. By adjusting the screws 60, thepressure on the wick may be regulated to regulate the flow of lubricantthrough the wick to the applying pads 55.

Similar lubricant applying means is provided for the upper guides. Asshown in Figs. 7 and 8, the upper supporting member 2% has a wick 61which extends through an opening 62 in the upper end portion of thelubricant chamber. The wick 61 extends down the rear face of thesupporting member 29:: and is held against the rear face of thesupporting member by means of a retaining plate 63, the wick 61 andplate 63 having openings to receive the lugs 32 on the rear face of thesupporting member 29a. The lower end of the wick 61 engages the topfaces of the guide fingers 43 and 4d of the upper guide unit and is heldagainst the guide fin ers by a retaining plate 64. The wick 61 has slots65 like the slots 54 of the wick 51 and the retaining plate 64 has slots66 like the slots 56 in the retaining plate 53 of the lower guide unit,so that lubricant is applied to opposite sides of band blades movingdownwardly through the upper guides into the article being sliced. Theretaining portions or" the plate 64 between the slots 66 are providedwith end flanges 67 engaging the ends of the guide fingers and attachedto the fingers by means of screws 68.

The retaining plate 64 has an upwardly extending flange 6& that overliesthe lower end of the retaining plate 63 and screws 76 passing throughthe flange 69 and the lower end of the plate 63 clamp the plates againstthe wick 61 and provide means for regulating pressure of the platesagainst the wick to increase or decrease the flow of lubricant throughthe wick. Screws 71 secure the upper ends of the plate 53 to thesupporting member 29a. By means of the lubricant applying pads at theends of the wicks 51 and 61, the blades moving upwardly through thelower guides and the blades moving downwardly through the upper guidesare coated with films of lubricant prior to their engagement with thematerial being sliced, so that there is little tendency for the materialof the article being sliced to adhere to the blade surfaces. By reasonof the narrow spaces of considerable height through which the bandblades pass over and below the slicing zone, the portions of the Plateengaging the article being sliced are positively held against lateralmovements and are caused to cut straight through the material with theformation of a minimum amount of crumbs. Since the opposite faces ofeach blade are supplied with a film of lubricant immediately prior toentry of the blade into a guide slot, the abrasive friction between theblades and the guide faces of the guide fingers is reduced to a minimum.By forming alternate guide fingers integral with separate attachingbars, accurate spacing is obtained and accurately formed, smooth guidesurfaces on the opposite sides of the narrow guide slots are madepossible.

It is to be understood that in accordance with the provisions of thepatent statutes, variations and modifications of the specific devicesherein shown and described may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines con prising twomembers, each having an elongated attaching portion and a series ofparallel guide fingers integral with said attaching portion andprojecting laterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each ofsaid members being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the width ofthe spaces between fingers being greater than the width of the fingers,and means for securing the attaching portions of said members togetherin superposed relation with the fingers of each interposed between andspaced from the fingers of the other to provide blade receiving slots.

2. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines comprising two members,each having an elongated attaching portion and a series of parallelguide fingers integral with said attaching portion and projectinglaterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each of saidmembers being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the width of thespaces between fingers being greater than the width of the fingers, thefingers of each of said members being of greater thickness than theattaching portion thereof and the attaching portions of said membershaving interengaging longitudinal alining shoulders, and means forseeming said attaching portions together with said shoulders inengagement and with fingers of each interposed between fingers of theother to provide uniformly spaced blade receiving slots of uniformwidth.

3. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines comprising two members,each having an elongated attaching portion and a series of parallelguide fingers integral with said attaching portion and projectinglaterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each of saidmembers being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the Width of thespaces between fingers being greater than the width of the fingers, thefingers of each of said members having fiat faces lying in a singleplane, the attaching portions of the two members being so disposed withrespect to the face plane of its fingers that the said attachingportions may be superposed one upon the other with the fingers of eachinterposed between fingers of the other and with said flat faces of allthe fingers in the same plane, and means for securing said attachingportions together with fingers of one member midway between fingers ofthe other to provide uniformly spaced blade slots and flat articleguiding portions between the slots.

4. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines comprising two members,each having an elongated attaching portion and a series of parallelguide fingers integral with said attaching portion and proiectinglaterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each of saidmembers being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the width of thespaces between fingers being greater than the width of the fingers, theblade engaging side faces of each of said fingers having a uniformplating composed of a wear resistant and corrosion resistant metal, andmeans for securing the attaching portions of said members together insuperposed relation with the fingers f each interposed between andspaced from the fingers of the other to provide narrow blade receivingslots between said plated surfaces.

5. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines comprising two members,each having an elongated attaching portion and a series of parallelguide fingers integral with said attaching portion and projectinglaterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each of saidmembers being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the width of thespaces between fingers being greater than the width of the fingers, thefingers of each of said members being of greater thickness than theattaching portion thereof and having flat top faces lying in a singleplane and fiat bottom faces lying in a parallel plane, the attachingportion of one of said members having a face portion in the plane of thetop faces of its fingers and the attaching portion of the other of saidmembers having a face portion in the plane of the bottom faces of itsfingers, said attaching portions being of a thickness such that they maybe superposed one upon the other with the fingers of one of the membersinterposed between the all thefingers uniformly spaced to provide bladereceiving slots between them.

6; A blade guide for band blade slicing. machines comprising asupporting member disposed transversely of the band blades, a pair offinger members each having an elongated attaching portion runninggenerally parallel to said supporting member and fixed thereto, and aseries of parallel guide fingers integral with said attaching portionand projecting laterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers ofeach of said members being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, thewidth between adjacent pairs of fingers associated with each of saidattaching portions being greater thansthe width of the fingers, saidattaching portions being mounted together in superposed relation on saidsupporting member with fingers of each interposed between and spacedfrom the finger-s of the other to provide blade receiving slots,

a lubricant reservoir carried by said supporting member and extendingalong the majority of the length thereof, a wick comprising a Wide padreceived in said lubricant reservoir, the width of said pad extendingalong the length of said reservoir, said pad extending out of saidreservoir and into engagement with one side of said fingers, a retainingplate having slots that register-with said blade receiving slots betweensaid fingers, said retaining plate providing a retaining strip for theportion of said wick adjacent said fingers, said wick having slots atits fingerengaging end that register with the retaining plate slots.

7. A blade guide for band blade slicing machines comprisiru a supportingmember disposed transversely of the band blades, a pair of fingermembers each having an elongated attaching portion running generallyparallel to said-supporting member and fixed thereto, and a series ofparallel guide fingers integral with said attaching porlion-andprojecting laterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers of each ofsaid members being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, the widthbetween adjacent pairs of fingers associated with each of said attachingportions being greater than the width of the fingers, said attachingportions being mounted together in superposed relation on saidsupportnig member with fingers of each interposed between and spacedfrom the fingers of the other to provide blade receiving slots, alubricant reservoir carried by said supporting member and extendingalong the majority of the length thereof, a wick comprising a wide padreceived in said lubricant reservoir, the

Width of said pad extending along the length of said 1 reservoir, saidpad extending out of said reservoir and into engagement with one side ofsaid fingers, a retain ing plate having slots that register with saidblade'receiving slots between said fingers, said retaining plateproviding a retaining strip for the portion of said wick adjacent saidfingers, said wick having slots at its fingerengaging end that registerwith the retaining plate slots,

7 and means to adjustably tighten said retaining plate ing plate slots.

againstsaid pad across the width thereof to control the amount oflubricant supplied to said blade receiving slots.

8. A blade guide .for band blad'e slicing machines comprising asupporting member disposed transversely of the band blades, 21 pair offinger'mer'nbers each having an elongated attaching portion runninggenerally parallel to said supporting member and fixed thereto, and aseries of parallel guide fingers integral with said attaching portionand projecting laterally from one side thereof, the guide fingers ofeach of said members being of uniform width and uniformly spaced, thewidth between adjacent pairs of fingers associated with each of saidattaching portions being greater than the Width of the fingers saidattaching portions being. mounted together in superposed vrelation onsaid supporting member with fingersof each interposed between and spacedfrom the fingers of the other to provide blade receiving slots, theblade engaging side faces of each of said fingers having a uniformplating composed of a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant metal, alubricant reservoir carried by said supporting member and extendingalong the majority of the length thereof, a wick comprising a wide padreceived in said lubricant reservoir, the width of said pad extendingalong the length of said reservoir, said pad extending out of saidreservoir and into engagement with one side of said fingers, a retainingplate having slots that registerwith said blade receiving slots betweensaid fingers, said retaining plate providing a retaining strip for theportion of said wick adjacent said fingers, said Wick having slots atits finger-engaging end that register with the retain- 9. A blade guidefor band blade slicing machines com prising a supporting member disposedtransversely of the band blades,-a plurality of guide fingers disposedtransversely of the band blades and mounted on said supporting member,blade receiving slots being defined between said fingers, a lubricantreservoir carried by said supporting member and extending along themajority of'tbe length thereof, awickcomprising a wide pad received insaid lubricant reservoir, the width of said-pad extending along thelength of said reservoir, said pad extending out of said reservoir andinto engagement with one side of said fingers, a retaining plate havingslots that register with said blade receiving slots between saidfingers, said retaining plate providing a retaining strip for theportion of said wick adjacent said fingers, said wick having slots atits finger-engaging end that register with the retaining plate slots. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS V

